CHARLESTON, W.Va. — “Wait and see” was the approach emergency officials were taking in much of West Virginia on Thursday morning as Flood Watches from the National Weather Service remained in effect for another day in all but 13 counties.
Rounds of precipitation continued to dump rain on communities throughout the Mountain State.
“We’re asking everybody to pay attention to the National Weather Service and watch because storms could shift and bring rain to us a whole lot quicker than we actually realize,” said Al Whitaker, director of Greenbrier County Homeland Security and Emergency Management.
In addition to the Flood Watches, Greenbrier County, Monroe County and Summers County were among those under Flood Advisories at times on Thursday morning due to what was classified as “minor flooding.”
Meteorologists were reporting runoff from earlier rains was collecting in stream basins.
See the latest weather watches and warnings HERE.
Overall, it’s not an unusual weather pattern for this time of year in Greenbrier County, said Whitaker.
“We get it right around the end of July, first of August time frame,” he said. “And we normally see it right, a little bit of rain, right when the (State) Fair starts as well.”
The 2018 State Fair of West Virginia opens on Aug. 9 in Fairlea.
By late Thursday morning, the heaviest rain was falling in the Eastern Panhandle counties.
It could be Friday morning before all Flood Watches in West Virginia were lifted.
On Sunday night into Monday, parts of Mercer County saw high water after more than five inches of rain fell on some communities.
In eastern Cabell County and western Putnam County, a strong system packing winds of more than 80 miles per hour in some cases took down trees and power lines near Culloden.